PROPHETIC INTERCESSION

Proverbs 29:18 says where people do not

have a prophetic vision,

“the people become demoralized” or will

“perish”.

The New King James version has a foot note to this clarifying that here ‘prophecy’ implies ‘prophetic vision’. Without prophetic vision people drift away. I have found that many a

time intercessory groups drift aimlessly without knowing what they are to pray for.

Many of us might begin praying according to our own understanding when we are in the initial phase of intercession. But we need to enter

into a deeper level / realm of intercession.

Someone shared about initial days in the intercession ministry:

“I really thought that I was an intercessor then. I took myself a notebook and began to write down, very systematically, a list

of the things I wanted the Lord to answer. It had the date of the request, what the request was, then another place for the

date when the Lord answered. To me this was intercession. I could not have been

more wrong. I was very diligent in prayer, but oh so misdirected in that diligence.”The scope and efficacy of prayer gets

restricted when it is guided by our own understanding.

The attitude of the intercessor should be, “Here I am… How I love to do your will, my God”

(Ps 40:7-8).

Fidelity to God’s will is a necessary precondition for the prayers being answered. “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly…” (Jas 4:3).

WHAT IS PROPHETIC INTERCESSION?

So many people think that intercession is taking a whole list of requests and bringing them to the Lord and

bombarding Him and then will the answer. In intercession we need to keep our eyes fixed on what is

moving in the heart of God.

The intercessor becomes the trusted aide, the lieutenant of God. Therefore, God reveals His mind to the intercessor.

Example: Andhra Pradesh Cyclone in 1996

“The turning point for me was during a mission trip to Nicaragua. I woke up feeling severely depressed for no apparent reason. I felt down and out, like giving up, throwing in the towel, calling it quit and running home to pull the covers over my head. It felt like my best friend had just died. I sat there for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong with me and crying out to God to help me escape these oppressive feelings. As I persisted, I heard that still small voice in my spirit saying, “Despondent. This is how the people of this nation feel. Pray.” Despondence is a feeling of extreme discouragement, dejection or depression. Once the Lord gave me that insight, I joined with others in a circle to pray against the oppression with the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4).”

Jennifer LeClaire on her initiation into prophetic intercession:

The Hebrew word for ‘prophet’ when translated literally means

‘spokesperson’. “I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who

shall speak to them everything that I command” (Deut 18:18). The prophet is an intermediary between God and

His people.

We have been hearing about the Prophet and the Prophetic role of leadership, etc. But not much about

the Prophetic character of prayer/intercession. We generally think of a Prophet as one who speaks to

people on behalf of God.

But the Biblical concept of the prophet is much wider. The first action by the prophet in the Bible - Abraham is not connected with “prophesying”, but interceding for

the people under the judgment of God “for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live”

(Gen 20:7).

In Gen 18:16-33, Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Prophetic [=hearing from God] intercession [=prayer that enforces what God has spoken].

Intercession identifies with the needs and burdens of the people, whereas prophetic intercession identifies with the burdens of the Lord.

Prophetic intercession is not coming to the Lord with a prayer list, but coming to the Lord to get a prayer list.

“The Lord GOD does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3: 7).

In fact, every time a situation which warrants prayer support arises, the Lord searches for an intercessor: “Thus I have searched among them for someone who could build a wall or stand in the breach before me to keep me from destroying the land.” (Ezek 22:30).

SIX STEPS TO PROPHETIC INTERCESSION

In simple words, prophetic intercession is asking God to lead us in what to pray for and how to pray for it, hearing from

God and then praying according to what He tells us. Another way of putting it is to invite God to lead and direct our

prayers.

In intercession, we are just “like clay in the hands of a potter, to be molded according his pleasure, so are men in the hands of their Creator, to be assigned by him their function” (Jer 18:6; Sir 33:13).

For this we first need to unburden our thoughts, anxieties, and really empty ourselves in order to be available to the Holy Spirit to inspire in us prayers that are according to the will of God.

Step 1: EMPTY OUR PLANS AND PLACE OURSELVES AT HIS

DISPOSAL

Example: Punjab

Step 2: SEEK GOD’S PLAN: WHAT TO PRAY FOR?1 Jn 5:14-15: “And this is the boldness we have in

him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests

made of him.”

It is like a Commander-in-chief unfolding a military map specifically outlining a target to be hit. For this

we need to lend our “eyes” and “ears” to Him.

Example: Intercession at Delhi Forts on 10 May, 1994

Step 3: KNOW HIS STRATEGY: HOW TO PRAY? Since we are engaged in a complex spiritual exercise which is beyond human comprehension, we should discern the right strategy, “Lord I have so many enemies. Lead me to do your will; make your way plain for me to follow” (Ps 5:8).

Prophetic Prayer action: Mr Robert Misst in his book: “Worship, Warfare and Intercession” writes: “We experienced similar results in 1989, when a team of intercessors prayed for the unification of Germany. At the Berlin Wall, we did a form of prophetic act and intercession, what is now commonly known as “the Jericho March”. It was my first prophetic prayer action experience. We walked for some part alongside the Berlin Wall that divided West and East Germany,

declaring its ultimate fall; in response to the prophetic words given to prophetic intercessors of Germany and Europe. A week later, our local TV news

station showed the breaking down of the wall and reunification of West and East Germany.” The two Germanys were unified in 1990.

Joshua 6: 1-5 – Intercession and Fall of Jericho.

Example: Cardoba, Argentina

2 Chron 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

We are like the chisel, lying there. By itself the chisel could do nothing, but when the sculptor takes it and uses it left and right, giving it the direction, the chisel is able to bring out a beautiful statue, a master piece.

Step 4: PRACTICAL INTERCESSIONAS THE SPIRIT DIRECTS

STEP 5: LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT AND PROCLAIM HIS WORD/MESSAGE

Is 55:11- “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it will

accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Step 6: THANK GOD FOR ANSWERING OUR

PRAYER

Our prayers are always answered: YES, NO or

WAIT.

Is 65:24 – “Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I

will hear.”